Green Rides for Our Boys in Blue

With a budget crunch looming, Moorestown officials are taking the bold move of spending money to save money. 

Town Council authorized the purchase of five 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrids. The four-wheel drive SUVs will join the existing 20-vehicle fleet in June. 

The $176,172 contract went to Avenel, NJ-based Sansone's Route 1 Toyota following a bidding process. 

According to Township Manager Chris Schultz, the decision was one of both economics and eco-mindedness. "It came about by looking at ways to build sustainability into our operations: fuel savings, environmental impact, etc.," Schultz said. 

Of the five, two will be used for township administration purposes. The other three will be assigned to the Police Department. 

Police Director Harry Johnson plans on putting two to use in the detective unit, and the third will serve to test the Highlander's grit—on the front line. 

While Moorestown is not the first municipality whose law enforcement agency is integrating hybrids in their fleet, the gasoline-electric vehicles are typically assigned to detective units or parking enforcement, not the hard-driven rigors of patrol. "If you look at [other police departments with hybrids], no one uses them as front-line vehicles," Director Johnson said.

That critical test will determine the potential inclusion of more gas-sippers on the force.

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid's fuel economy—28 mpg, both city and highway - makes it very desirable to a unit whose standard police cruiser, Ford Crown Victoria, doesn't come near with its EPA rating of 18 mpg.

"A lot of our work is done in the vehicle," Director Johnson said, referring to the considerable amount of idling that unproductively drains fuel. His own estimate contends the current per gallon mileage approaches single digits. The Highlander Hybrid—operating off an electric motor up to 25 mph for up to a mile—will deeply cut into that waste.

Conventionally more expensive than their nonhybrid counterparts—and Moorestown's new Toyotas are, by nearly $10,000—it's only financially prudent to pursue a hybrid under two conditions: heavy-mileage driving and high gas prices. Both are present in Moorestown's case.

According to Johnson, patrol cars—alternately shared by two sergeants—accumulate 24,000 miles annually. Coupled with steadily climbing pump prices that now hover at $3 per gallon, the hybrids should prove a sound investment. Whereas today's fleet vehicle—on the road for daily double-shifts—consumes nearly $6,000 a year in gas, the Highlander Hybrid should cover the same amount of pavement on only $2,600. 

Such enhanced fuel performance should offset the premium price tag in just three years. And should there be a major market shock in crude oil prices—as was seen in 2008—that payback time line will accelerate.

With real-life conditions always presenting unforeseen variables, it's assured township officials will be closely monitoring this testing phase. A successful pilot may one day lead to an all-green fleet for Moorestown's red and blue.